Like a magnet
by snowy-rose
Summary: Like a magnet, opposites attract. A more CSI take on everyone's favorite SxM
1. Forensics by candle light

**Hello Everyone :D**

**This is my first Soul Eater Fic ever, so it might take me a couple of chapters to successfully get into the persona of Soul and Maka (please bear with me until then.) **

**I love forensics and shows like CSI and Bones, so i thought it would be kind of cool to combine the two, idk we'll see how it turns out :D**

**Reviews would be appreciated so please tell me your thoughts!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater... sad**

**Enjoy :)**

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Where the quick witted and intellectual are found musing themselves with books and scientific jokes; there are the not so mentally quick… more politely put, the brawn as opposed to the brain. And in such a state the two are usually found together, giving truth to the old saying that opposites do in fact attract.

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**October 21st 9:37 p.m**

Silver light poured out from under the lampshade and spilled onto the dog-eared pages of a book that was resting in the lap of one Maka Albarn. The room was silent as her intellectual eyes scanned over every letter, every word, every phrase; branding each passage into her mind like hot coals. A quick swish of pages and she resumed once again the stance of pure concentration memorizing every letter, every word, and every phrase on that tissue thin page, until the words would stop and she would have to turn the page and begin anew.

In the room over sat Soul Eater Evans, a procrastinator by trade yet an artist when it came to bringing a melody to life; contorting its shape and tone, tugging on its strings and pitches like some child's play thing until it took the air of something haunting yet mesmerizing at the same time. He pulled his legs to his chest and let his chin rest on his knees, the rough fabric from his pants pressed into his skin with each amount of pressure he exerted down. It wasn't a feeling of pain that _hurt_ necessarily, it was just bothersome. Soul sat in that unmoving position for a couple of minutes before quickly growing bored with the lack of things to do when his partner was in her "study mode." He drummed a beat with his fingers on top of the scuffed wood surface of their table while staring at the tacky yellow and white linoleum that covered the kitchen.

"I'm bored" he thought to himself "I don't want to review this stupid case right now" Soul lazily rolled his crimson eyes to the manila folder covered in Maka's shorthand scribbles. It laid there in front of him taunting him to open its already worn out cardboard cover and send all the documents through a paper shredder where they'd never see the light of day again. He extended a long slender finger and flicked at a brightly colored post-it note.

"Red" Soul noted indifferently "all of the things I'm supposed to read are marked in red"

Bored with the silence and lack of interesting things in the kitchen the teen lazily flipped open the cover of the folder, revealing a stack of papers plastered with post-its of every color of the rainbow. "Somebody has too much free time" he commented thinking about his meister's apparent OCD for things to be in order "her and Kid should be partners" Soul stole a glance at the Polaroid photos painted with grotesque images of dismembered limbs and bodily fluids. Catching his interest he reached foreword and slipped the photos out of their paper clip prison. The one on top detailed the entire crime scene from the street to the front yard where the body parts lay in bloodied pieces. On the bottom of the photo was "Crime scene overview shot" written in Maka's hurried handwriting. Soul tutted at the picture "Death City's sure got one hell of a lunatic on their hands this time around." He murmured sliding the photo to the back and bringing forth the next scene, it was the decomposing body with little markers next to it that showed how long the torso was and such. "Weird" he commented "we usually only use the markers for smaller objects but whatever." On the bottom of this one read "Jane Doe age 34 height 5'4"

"Okay so it's an unknown female, how pleasant" Soul mused sarcastically, bored with the details of their latest assignment he threw the papers back into the folder in a disheveled mess and rose from the chair. He cracked his back and gave a toothy yawn before continuing into the living room where Maka sat reading intensely.

"Hey" he said blankly, earning a short "What?" from his partner

"you hungry?" Soul asked sliding onto the couch next to her; he could hear the springs squeal under his weight, it was like nails on a chalkboard. Maka flinched at the noise and then, after four hours of reading, put the book down on top of the growing pile next to the couch.

""Yeah" she replied suppressing a yawn "take out sound good to you?"

Soul nodded his head and stared blankly at the wall "sounds good to me"

From anyone else's perspective, their relationship as partners and room mates would seem as intimate as a dead fish. Their choppy one word sentences and awkward silences masked the true chemistry that was boiling up within their small apartment. Every minute that passed was either filled with lust or sexual tension. They were both at that age now where it would not be uncommon to see two people in the same place as they, to be having some midnight conversations between the sheets. But Soul, despite his lack of manners, kept to the way of the gentleman…the way his mother and father had brought him up. Meaning that he forced himself to look away when Maka trotted out of the bathroom with nothing but a miniscule pale blue towel wrapped around her slender body. He would save the images and slightly sexual thoughts for later when she was not around.

"Soul…Soul?" Maka waved a hand in front of the weapons face

He shook his head and ran a hand through his snowy hair "Eh oh sorry Maka" he apologized "guess I'm still tired."

The blonde stole a glance at her partners weary face, the bags beneath his eyes stood out against the ruby red orbs that always held her olive ones much longer than they should.

"Soul" she began "if you're tired then go to sleep"

He leaned back and rested his head on the back of the couch "Jeez what are you my mother?" he asked nudging her playfully in the side with his elbow.

Maka scowled and reached for her book, Soul placed his hand over hers and slid the book out of her reach, slightly blushing from the contact.

"Hey bookworm get a life, watch a movie with me" He demanded pointing to their library of movies.

"Sooooul" Maka whined as he held the book over his head out of her reach "give it baack"

Soul chuckled and raised the book higher. Maka threw herself at him and knocked him over with a swift unpredictable tackle.

His eyes widened as her body smashed against his, Soul could feel his face redden as Maka squirmed across his torso and snatched the book out of his stunned hand. Suddenly the book slipped out of her hand and landed with a dull thud onto the carpeted floor. Her eyes grew to the size of quarters as she hesitantly looked down and realized what kind of a position she was in. Soul was pinned to the couch and it was she who was straddling him in a very inappropriate manner. She could feel the soft fabric of his yellow jacket brush up against her bare stomach where her shirt had risen up a bit.

"Uhh-uhmm…I err" she stammered while her face turned several shades of red, Soul smirked and cocked an eyebrow

"Well well what do we have here" he began, his eyes were distracted for a moment "I guess I can no longer call you tiny tits eh?"

Maka's eyes bulged once more "S-SOUL!" she yelled while attempting to remove herself from her position.

"Yes?" he asked innocently "what can I do for you?"

"Kindly remove yourself from underneath my body" she said firmly, trying to control the blush that had spread across her face.

"Well" Soul stated "I would but you seem to be on top"

Her gaze dropped to his chest, the place where she had spent so many nights desiring to lay. "It seems to be so" she repeated quietly

Soul sighed and grabbed a hold of her shoulders; he raised her up and slid his body out from underneath hers. The scythe set her down on the couch next to him and smiled "Better?" he asked

Maka nodded her head and gave him a weak smile in return "why don't you pick the movie?" she said fluffing up the pillow next to her, knowing exactly which movie he would pick.

Soul slowly stood up and sauntered over to the cabinet where they stored their movies, he ran a long finger over the spines of the movies only coming to stop at a red case labeled "The Transporter."

"This one again?" Maka asked "I'm surprised, I thought you'd choose Flight of the Pheonix, we've only watched it twice this week."

"Eh, thought I'd go for something action-y" he shrugged and slipped the disc into the DVD player above their TV. Making his way back to the couch he flicked off the lights and made himself comfortable next to Maka. The opening credits began and Soul could feel his eyes grow heavy.

"Jeez" he thought to himself "the movie hasn't even begun yet, how un-cool."

He lolled his head to the side and watched his partner tuck her legs under her sitting figure.

"You know Soul" she said blankly "us watching a movie doesn't change the fact that you still have to read that material."

Soul groaned "Makaaaa"

She laughed "don't think that I don't know your intentions Soul Eater Evans, I know very well that you did not so much as read one line of the material marked for you."

He puffed out his bottom lip grating it slightly on his pointed fangs "I don't wanna read it, why can't we just go to the scene and do our research there?" he questioned

Maka shushed him and pointed to the screen "its starting"

Soul draped his arms across the back of the couch and let his fingers waver a few inches from Maka's shoulder.

two hours later

The TV screen flickered with static bouncing soft shadows off the walls; a dull snore could be heard pouring out of Soul's open mouth, his fanged teeth glinting from the light of the TV. Next to him Maka laid sprawled out against his chest, her fist loosely grasping a handful of his jacket. Their chests rose in fell with the same synchronization that it took to combine their souls. A small grin played on Maka's lips as she nuzzled her face into Soul's chest, making herself more comfortable. In the morning they would find that they hadn't moved the entire night…and neither could say that they didn't enjoy it.

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**Eh...What did you think?**

**I know it's not much of a first chapter but i wanted to show the relationship between Maka and Soul before i divulge into more of a plot line, please tell me what your oppinions are. Even if you an annon. i would love to hear from everyone :D**

**Thanks for reading :)**

**p.s. **

**just a note, i am a very busy person so please do not expect a new chapter every day, i try to update as often as i can when i have spare time **


	2. Joseph Walter Stritch

**Hello all :)**

**My appologies for not updating sooner, i've been busy with work and such. First off i woul like to thank the people who have reviewed, i love each and every one of you :D**

**Aah yes to answer a few questions that were brought to my attention, Maka and Soul are at the age of 17 and they've graduated Shibusen but i'll divulge into that scenario later on in the story. So please bear with me!**

**Enjoy :D**

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**The appartment of Maka and Soul**

**- 7:20 a.m**

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"Oi" Soul grumbled lightly shaking his partners shoulder "wake up we'll be late"

At the mention of such a possibility Maka shot up and threw the blanket that was resting across her lap onto the floor.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier!?" she frantically scrambled off the couch and fell onto her face. Soul chuckled and extended a hand in her direction,

"You were tired" he replied, shot and to the point

She slid her soft hand into his rough one and let his strength pull her up off the carpeted floor. A smile of gratitude crept onto her lips but soon was erased by a tight lipped scowl.

"My lack of sleep doesn't matter, we can't be late or else we'll be taken off the case!" Soul watched her run to her room, not even bothering to shut the door behind her. _Be thankful that I'm a gentleman… _he thought _or else I'd be tempted to do things that other men would do. _He slid on the navy blue vest marked "forensics" and unwillingly removed his favorite yellow headgear, knowing that Maka would deem it to be "un professional." The scythe was about to sit down on the couch when Maka came racing down the hall clad in a similar uniform. Straightening her vest out she pulled on their forensics kit book bag and grabbed her partners arm.

"Come on Soul let's get going!" she exclaimed leading him towards the door with haste. Soul grabbed his keys off a brass hook on the wall and slammed the door behind him.

As they walked out into the hallway of their apartment building the familiar smell of mothballs and old wood crept into their noses. The walls were the same tacky off white color with the occasional picture of inanimate objects in a decorative frame.

"Do you think we'll get put on permanently?" Maka asked Soul as they hurried through the halls.

Soul gave a half shrug "I dunno" he was silent for a moment "It would be nice if we did though."

Maka smiled "We'll just have to give it our all okay Soul?" she asked opening the main doors.

"Right" he smiled twirling his keys around his finger "whatever you wish my meister"

She playfully shoved him as they walked out into the bright morning sunlight, crowds of people packed the streets like sardines despite the fact that the sun had only risen an hour ago. A vibrant orange motorcycle sat parked next to the apartment building, its new paint job glinting in the light. Soul trotted over to the vehicle and smoothly swung a leg over its metal body. With a swift clinking of metal he inserted the key in the ignition and listened as it purred to life. Soul jumped as Maka's hands snaked around his waist and pressed her body against his. A slight blush rose to his face as it always did whenever they took the motorcycle; secretly he loved to ride it when she was with him. It made him feel like a man, and the thought of Maka against his body made him shudder with excitement.

"Let's go Soul, gun it!" she commanded as her partner eased his foot down on the gas pedal peeling out from the curb and onto the road. Soul grinned as Maka buried her face in his shoulder to protect her face from the wind. He thought back to last night when he had awoken late in the night to find Maka snuggled up comfortably on his chest. Soul shook the thought from his mind; such thoughts were distracting when it came to driving. The orange vehicle parted the crowds and weaved through the back ways of alleys, in Soul's opinion it was one of the benefits of having a motorcycle as opposed to a car; you look cool and it was convenient.

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**20 minutes of "blissful" driving later...**

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"Take a left up here" Maka directed pointing to a sign that read "Kings Street" The bike swerved onto the street and sped down the pavement. They passed a number of broken down houses and inner city apartments. Grass and weeds poked their leafy heads out of the cracked cement sidewalks and driveways, an occasional discarded tire or two lay out by large bins of trash overflowing with cheep beer cans and laundry detergent bottles. Soul cleared his throat and shook the rancid stench of the neighborhood out of his nostrils

"Smells like piss" he commented to no one in particular, the bike roared to a stop in front of a dilapidated brick house. The first thing they noticed was the neon crime scene tape wrapped around the parameter of the yard, its luminescent yellow strips fluttered in the breeze. Swarms of police officers and crime scene investigators scattered themselves across the yellowed lawn. Clumps of brittle water deprived grass and dirt crunched beneath their feet into a fine dust.

Maka took a deep breath and slid off the bike prompting her partner to do the same; she looked Soul in the eyes and straightened her vest. "Let's do this" she whispered

Soul nodded his head and gave her a reassuring smile (which, coming from him, was rare) Together the two walked up the lawn, taking their surroundings into notice; as soon as Maka caught sight of the body her first reaction was to turn the other way and "toss her cookies" onto the badly paved sidewalk. Soul reached up and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. It was his turn to examine the body.

His notes said that "it" was identified as a male in his late 40's but to Soul he wouldn't be able to tell their victims rotting corpse apart from a dead and skinned animal. The murder was obviously one resulting from anger or some form of aggravation. Hence why their John Doe's vertebrae was cracked in three places along with minor abrasions to the head.

"Looks like a fight" Soul observed as he crouched down and slipped a latex glove over his hand. With the thin layer of rubber protection Soul carefully examined the victims head. He whistled, slightly amused, "that had to be one hell of a punch to dislocate the jaw like that." Soul photographed the shattered mandible with a click of the digital camera around his neck. Once he was satisfied with the picture's quality he turned his attention to the actual body (torso if you will) of their John Doe. A tattered blue flannel shirt hung in shreds around the body, decomposed flesh clung to the bones where the ribs were exposed. Soul heard the clicking of Maka's camera as she went on a photographing frenzy, making sure to document every piece of evidence that could be found.

A pair of feet obstructed Soul's view of the body followed by someone clearing their throat rather loudly. The teen stood up and stripped his hands free of their latex prison,

"Can I help you?" he asked the man in front of him, Soul could tell that he was a real "by the book" kind of guy. He held himself high regardless that he was verging on six foot tall and wore a pair of turtle shell spectacles that were resting comfortably on the bridge of his nose. His eyes were a steel gray and lacked any sense of personality or individuality.

He cleared his throat again "Who might you two…" he faltered for a moment as his gaze drifted from the sarcastic teen in front of him to the shapely female behind him "_people_ be?" the man asked in a dull monotone drone.

Maka stepped in front of Soul with her chin stuck out "we're the interns that Stein sent and both I and my partner would appreciate it if you did not categorize us by appearances thank you very much."

The man held out his hand with a smile that was almost as fake as his rumpled "designer" suit.

"Please forgive my rudeness; I did not know that the interns Frank sent were so …young."

Maka folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight from one side to the other "age is but a number Mr. …?"

"Stritch, Joseph Walter Stritch…you might have heard of me from my involvement with the Bower case."

"Nope" Soul blankly replied as Stritch grimaced at his apparent dislike of his new co-workers.

"Anyhow" He began loudly "if you'll come with me I'll fill you in on the details."

Maka interrupted by thumping a large file folder in her hands "Professor Stein already faxed us the nitty gritty, we'd like to see the rest of the crime scene now."

He clenched his teeth and smiled "of course let me show you the way." He said gesturing for them to walk into the house.

As Soul walked past the smiling man he clamped a large hand on his shoulder "Thanks Joe" he mockingly said as he flashed Stritch a toothy smile.

The forensics expert uttered a small gasp as he zeroed in on Soul's pointed teeth

"Oh by the way… I'm Soul Eater…nice to meet you" the teen darkly spoke and then vanished behind his partner in what was to be one of the most exciting adventures of their lives.

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**Yeah it does not look like the dynamic duo and a certain uppity Mr. Joseph Walter Stritch are going to get along too well eh?**

**Please R&R! Every review i get makes me feel more motivated to write more!**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	3. Pools of Red

**My appologies for such a delayed update, i've been so busy with colleges, homework, and work that i barely have any time to myself anymore :\ **

**Eh guess that's growing up for yah. Anywho this chapter i tried to take a different approach to writing, i tried to make it more than just words on a screen. **

**Enjoy :D**

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**Inside the Crime Scene**

**-7:30 a.m**

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Bluntly put, the small Low Income House stunk like hell. Soul pulled a rumpled blue handkerchief out of his pocket and covered his nose, hoping to rid his nostrils of the stench. "Oi Maka, don't walk so fast" he commented as his partner turned a corner and whipped out her flashlight. Soul heard the snap of Maka's elastic latex gloves followed by the creaking of a door. She _must be examining one of the rooms_ he deduced; sliding his hands into another pair of gloves Soul took a deep breath and began to examine the living room.

It was a small square room with bleach white walls and tan carpet, the light from the windows revealed the many dark brown splotches hidden in corners and under the weathered coffee table piled high with nudie mags and TV guides. Soul walked over and used the butt of his flashlight to flip over one of the explicit magazines, his eyes widened and a small stream of crimson dripped out of his nose. "T-That's enough of that…" he muttered sliding the material aside, Soul fluttered through the rest of the papers on the table and came across a post it note stuck to a pamphlet for a traveling female strip club.

"_9:30 at the Rail" _

_-candy_

Soul whistled and chuckled to himself "Sounds like someone got some candy" he murmured while pulling a forensics zip lock bag and carefully placing the pamphlet into it.

"Soul" Maka called out, her voice cracking

"Yeah what is it?"

There was a silence for a moment before Maka poked her head around the corner "I-I think I found our Jane Doe"

Soul slipped the bag into his backpack and hurried to his partners side "you gonna be okay?" He asked slightly worried about the female's mental health.

She nodded and tightened her grip on the blue flashlight "it's just a little gory, but I can handle it."

Soul clapped his hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile, "come on meister, we'll do this together" he said coolly snapping the elastic on his gloves. Maka returned his smile and turned the knob on the door. As it creaked open, the stench of rotting flesh and death overwhelmed their senses and made their eyes water and burn. Maka coughed and covered her nose with the back of her hand "I'd like to introduce you to our Jane Doe, the one from the report."

Soul scowled "Gee it's a pleasure" he mocked and took a step towards the decrepit decaying body that lay on the floor.

"Her name is Serena Knowles"

Soul and Maka jumped as Stritch made his presence known, "Christ Joe!" Soul yelled "We're frekin surrounded by death in this house, it's a little creepy when you sneak up on us out of no where!"

"My apologies " Stritch said through gritted teeth as the two interns went back to work.

"Well one things for sure" Soul commented "she's defiantly NOT going on any more dates looking like that."

Maka looked up from the body "What makes you say that she was on a date?"

Soul chuckled "C'mon did you see the guys living room?" he looked under the bed and shone the light on the floor. Maka shook her head and gave him a puzzled look "it's covered with smut, no wife would let their husband keep that kind of material laying out for everyone and their brother to oogle at." He stood up and brushed the dust off his pants "that and the fact that the place is a mess and there's no women's clothing in this room."

Maka looked around and into the open closet, a few dirty shirts and a bag of golf clubs occupied the small room.

"Guess you're right" she whipped out a small notepad and scribbled feverishly on the thin paper.

* * *

"Guess you're right"

Stritch took a deep breath and focused on the two teens with their backs turned to him, he fought against a twisted smile and slowly advanced towards them. How he longed just to feel the dull crunch of a skull beneath his iron, the interns bothered him to a murderous point. He wanted nothing more than to silence the two conceited brats. How dare they treat him like they were better than he. Anger made his blood boil. Careful not to be noticed by the two, Stritch pulled out a long iron bar and held it above his head.

* * *

He was close enough now to see what the female was writing on the notepad, to see the perspiration on the back of her neck, to reach out and touch her. Then the moment was upon them, Strich raised the bar and brought it crashing down upon the girl's head with a spray of crimson. Soul turned to react when he too was brought to his knees and landed face first into a pool of red.

Then

There

Was

Nothing


	4. Vertigo

**Hello again my lovely readers and reviewers :)**

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews you have given me! They were a huge motivation booster, anyway i appologise at the length of this chapter, it's not the longest but i have a plan for he next chapter and had to stop this one where i did to make it work. **

**So please...**

**Enjoy :D**

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**??? Room**

**-time unknown**

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He could feel his head pounding as he cracked open an eye "Oww" he muttered under his breath as he tried to push himself off the concrete floor. Suddenly he remembered his meister "MAKA!" Soul yelled as he frantically searched the room regardless of the sense of vertigo he had entered. The floor was the ceiling the ceiling was the floor, spinning in endless circles making the panic blossom inside his chest. Stars popped in front of his eyes and made it harder to think. With each heaving breath soul lolled his leaded head from side to side trying to distinguish the number of items within the room. The outlines were blurred and frantically slurred but in the far corner of the bleak room he could make out his partners shape. Soul crawled over to her noticing the trail of crimson that he left behind him, but that didn't matter to him; all that mattered was that his meister was okay and safe. "Maka" he meekly whimpered as his elbow buckled causing his side to smash onto the floor. "I must get to her" he whispered with newly reformed determination. Taking in a shaky breath he pulled himself off the floor once more and made his way to his partner's side. The rough concrete floor scraped at his hands and bloodied his fingertips as he crawled. Finally after what seemed to be forever Soul had reached his destination, plopping down in an exhausted heap he grasped Maka's hand and squeezed it tight. "M-Maka". No answer came from her pale lips. "Maka" he said sternly with underlining worry "answer me damnit!" Soul pounded a fist onto the floor with a dull thud. His partner stirred in response, slightly twitching her leg. It was hardly noticeable to anyone else but for Soul, it was enough. "Maka!" He exclaimed with a sigh of relief leaning up against the wall. He glanced sideways at the girl; she lay in a heap of tangled limbs and hair. Her usual upright posture was broken as she lay crumpled and slouched; his piercing eyes traced her body and came across a dark blotch of dried blood on the top of her head. He could feel the rage well up within him as he thought back to her shrill terror-ridden scream. Soul smirked and gently slid an arm under Maka's legs and did the same with her neck lifting her into his lap and resting her head on his chest.

"S-Soul" she managed to whisper

The teen looked down into her half open green eyes "Sssh" he urged her "rest, you're a mess."

Despite the pain that flooded her body Maka managed to crack a tiny smile "the same could be said for you" she pointed out as she raised a slender hand to his snowy head. The dried blood on his head stuck out like a sore thumb amongst his white locks, "that must've hurt" she said distantly. There was a pregnant pause between the two "what happened?"

Soul looked away and shamefully stared at the trail of blood he had left while crawling to his partners aid. "I-I dunno" he admitted "but I failed to protect you …again"

Maka slid her hands around his waist and buried her face into his chest; she didn't care how suggestive she looked mashed up against him. She was scared and just wanted to be comforted. "Hey" Soul said gently wrapping his arms around her tiny body, pulling her closer "it'll be okay, don't worry, I'll protect you"

Maka sniffled "but who will protect you?" she asked fearfully

"Does it matter?" He answered rhetorically "all that matters is that you're safe."

She curled into his body even more, wanting to be closer to him. Soul blushed heavily, feeling oddly entranced by the moment. He closed his eyes and stroked the side of her head that was not clotted with blood.

"Soul?" Maka asked "who did this?"

He sighed and looked down at her fatigued face, "I can't remember" he answered "but I'll tell you one thing"

"Yeah?"

Soul smiled "I'm glad we're together right now…"

Maka blushed and nuzzled her face into his chest "me too."

* * *

A man in a blue vest hurried his way through the crowd of police officers and tapped a man in a rumpled suit on the shoulder. He cleared his throat nervously before speaking "D-Dr. Stritch" he spoke in a cracked voice "Amanda is here to see you"

Stritch turned around and pushed his glasses back onto his nose "ah yes, thank you" he said smiling a sickly sweet smile.

The man pivoted on his foot to walk out the door when a thought occurred to him "err" he began "pardon my asking but where are Stein's interns?"

Stritch's smile faltered for a moment "what interns?" he asked innocently

The man in the vest looked confused "I thought there were two interns here today, one with silver hair and a girl"

"You must have been mistaken" Stritch said as he began to walk out the door "…there were no interns..."

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**So it seems like Soul and Maka are in a pickle eh? what will happen? ... well now, thats for me to know and you to find out!**

**But how did you like it? Please tell me any ideas, thoughts, or comments you have...even if you are anon i would love to hear from you!**

**That Stritch, he's a devious bastard huh?**

**As always...**

**Thanks for reading :) **

**(don't forget to review!)**


	5. Peroxide and Scalpels

**Gaah! This chapter was so much fun to write, i got so caught up in the writing that it is now 10:40...someone's going to be dead at school in the morning XD**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!**

**Enjoy :D**

* * *

**??? Room**

**-Time: unknown**

Soul woke up to the sound of metal creaking, he cracked open an eye and saw a small rectangular hole in the wall along with the food that was pushed through it. A wave of panic washed over him as he realized that what had happened was not a dream and he and Maka were both trapped in that concrete room. He felt his heart beat faster and faster with each breath he took in "no Soul, take it easy" he told himself "breathe in…and out" he heaved in a shaky breath and slowly released it through tight lips. Soul repeated the process for a few more moments before looking down to his partner. He winced as he looked at her bloodied head; her perfect brownish blonde hair was tainted with clots of dried crimson blood that was clustered together on the back of her skull. As much as he didn't want to leave her, Soul gently placed her on the floor, making sure to be extremely careful of her injured cranium. He slowly stood up and walked over to the food items that had been pushed through the hole. Two cans of monster, a bag of Doritos, and a large bottle of water sat on a rusted metal tray. "Wow" Soul thought "this is some great nourishment" he wrapped a hand around one of the energy drinks and examined it, suddenly he let go of the can as if it were on fire. "What the hell am I doing?!" he mentally yelled at himself "this could be evidence; I can't touch it with my bare hands!" Soul covered his palms with the ends of his favorite yellow hoodie. Pleased with his burst of helpful knowledge Soul grabbed the water and made his way back to his meister. His head throbbed and felt sore with every step he took, "what the hell was I hit with?" he thought while gingerly massaging the area around his injury "did they really have to hit me that hard, geez." He slumped down next to his sleeping partner and gently shook her shoulder.

"Maka" he whispered "Maka come on wake up"

The girl stirred and mumbled something in her sleep

"I need to treat your head dumbass now wake up!" Soul scooped her up and sat her in an upright position. Maka's eyes fluttered open as her head lolled from side to side,

"Soul?" she asked still half asleep

"no shit" he replied with a sarcastic grin "I need to look at your head now just stay with me here." Soul gently placed a hand on her head and ran his finger over the large swelled lump that had grown where she was hit. Maka winced and stifled a yelp "sorry" Soul apologized as he continued on "Well it doesn't look like a concussion so at least you've got that going for you." He said as he began rummaging through the forensics backpack that was still strapped to his back. The teen pulled out a small bottle of peroxide and a roll of gauze, he smiled apologetically "sorry Maka but this is really going to hurt…"

Maka's eyes widened as she realized what he was doing but was too late to stop it from happening. Soul had brushed away the dried blood and poured a bit of the peroxide on her head before she could even get a word out.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Maka yelled with tears in her eyes as her wail reverberated off the walls .

"Owowowowowwww!" she went to clasp her hands over her swollen head but a pair of hands stopped her.

"That would make it even worse if you did that" Soul pointed out with a smirk plastered to his face. He pulled the gauze out and began to wrap her wound with the white fabric; Soul was completely oblivious to the blush that had spread across her face. "There" he said satisfied "it'll feel better soon"

Maka threw him a doubtful stare "I think you're lying to make me feel better" she accused. Soul shrugged and kissed the tips of his first two fingers and then lightly tapped them on the back of her head.

"That's just because I'm a cool guy" he replied turning his attention to his own injury, Maka could see him holding back the agonizing scream that he wanted to let out as he felt the top of his head. Soul brushed the scabs out of his white locks and bit his lip in pain.

"Here let me help" Maka offered as she slid behind him and carefully removed the scabs, "okay now hand me the peroxide" Soul took a deep breath and regretfully handed his meister the liquid that was about to cause him so much pain.

"Just do it quick" he said squaring off his shoulders and squeezing his eyes shut. Maka poured a small amount of the clear medicine onto his bleeding wound.

Soul let out a hard breath as he bit his lip and balled his hands into fists "god damn this hurts!" he groaned trying not to wither away in agonizing screams. Maka wrapped her arms around her weapon and hugged him tightly

"I'm sorry Soul, but it would get infected if I didn't do that"

The teen turned red as he could feel the parts of her body that reminded him that she was a woman. "I-It's okay" he stuttered trying to regain his composure.

* * *

**Outside of the crime scene**

**- 10:32 a.m**

A dirty white car pulled up to the crime scene, police officers were still scattered about snapping pictured and talking to neighbors. The man in the driver's seat cranked the screw in his head and sighed before taking a slender cigarette out of his breast pocket and lighting it. He inhaled the filtered air inside his car and let a thin stream of pale smoke escape through his lips. "Time to get this party started" he said to no one in particular as he opened the car door with a loud squeak.

"Ah Stein I didn't know you were stopping by" Stritch said with a hint of worry behind his tone as the egotistical man finished up his conversation with another officer.

The man dubbed Stein looked over to Stritch and greeted him with a half hearted wave. This guy and his ego really got on his nerves. "I'd just love to slice him open and see what's inside" he sadistically thought as he ran his finger over the scalpel concealed in his pocket. "Hnn" Stein thought as he slid a finger to his chin with a wicked grin "I wonder if he'd literally be full of shit." He mused as he made a mental note to dissect the man later. Looking from side to side the teacher scanned the crowd for his two interns "Joe where are my students at?" he asked looking bored with the scene already despite the smell of rotting flesh and blood, his favorite.

Stritch winced and gritted his teeth as the highly unprofessional title of "Joe" echoed through his head. "Well…_Frank_…I don't have a clue and I must say that it is extremely unprofessional to not show up when someone is expecting you." He spoke venomously

Stein cocked his head and played with his screw "what do you mean by that?"

Stritch exhaled a hostile breath and spoke "what I mean is that your interns never showed up."

There was a momentary pause between the two professionals before Stein broke out into an insane fit of laughter. "Bull S-H-I-T" he laughed "Maka and Soul were extremely eager to join the forces of field forensics this morning, of course they're here."

Stritch's pleasant smile faltered for a brief moment "my dear friend I assure you that they have not shown up."

Stein smiled and chuckled under his breath "_my dear friend_ I'm almost positive now that if I would dissect you, that all I would find is lying shit." He retorted, making sure to accentuate on the my dear friend comment. Things like that pissed him off, he had no "friends" nor did he have a need for them.

Stritch gnashed his teeth "why how DARE you insult me by calling me a liar! I have been here since the crack of dawn and have seen neither hide nor hair of the two of them!"

"Oh really" Stein mused, he enjoyed pushing peoples buttons almost as much as running a blade through their flesh. "I beg to differ" He took a drag on his cigarette and let the butt fall onto the sidewalk where he crushed it underneath the heel of his boot.

Stritch was pissed off now, how dare such an unprofessional man saunter up to him and accuse him of lying. Which, granted, he _was_ doing but that wasn't the case, this Stein man was heading the same way as that silver haired Soul Eater boy was, and that would be unfortunate for the both of them.

"Professor Stein" Stritch said through clenched teeth as he folded his arms across his chest.

Stein slid his hands into his patched lab coat pockets "what is it now you egotistical little man?" he smirked as his opponent turned what was in his opinion, a lovely shade of violet.

"I have a doctorate in forensics!" Stritch spat

Stein laughed and held up his favorite dissecting tool "and I have a scalpel"

"How is that relevant?!" Stritch yelled back exasperated

"It's not" Stein commented slowly becoming bored with their petty argument

"So then why tell me you have one?!"

Sunlight shone menacingly on Steins glasses as he smiled with insanity "just letting you know I have it."

"Why?"

He lowered his face while keeping both his eyes locked onto the man standing opposite him and plunged it into his arm. Stritch watched half in horror and amusement as Stein pulled out the blade and licked the blood off his arm with one motion. "If I can do that to myself" he began "then imagine what I can do to you without batting an eyelash" he snarled. Stritch took a step back and swallowed his words

"fine have it your way psycho" he resorted to play ground name calling and was about to bring up another name when the knife that had just been in the professors hand was now imbedded into the tree inches away from his pointed nose.

"Hot damn I missed" Stein commented sadly "and I could have shaven that little uppity nose right off your face too…" he walked over and pulled the knife out of the tree "be thankful that my aim was off you little fucker." With that he stuffed the tool into his pocket and turned to walk away.

Stritch couldn't just let Stein walk away with the dignity of "winning" their spat "your interns were probably just stupid little fucks anyway, they'd only mess up my perfect case record."

Stein was fuming now, people could say whatever they wanted about him but to insult his two most promising/favorite students…now that was a taboo. He reached out and grabbed Stritch by the throat, he was about to say a witty one liner when something caught his eye. A rather large file folder packed with information on the case was sitting on top of an expensive attaché case next Stritch who was gasping for air and clawing at Steins hands. He threw the man backwards onto the ground and before he could get up Stein snatched the folder off the case and shot Stritch a death glare that froze him in his tracks.

"Yeah of course they weren't here" Stein thumped his fist against the folder "I gave this to Maka so she could study the cases that were like this one." He grasped the side of his face as he felt the insanity inside of him grow stronger and take control of his emotions. Breathing heavily trying to keep his reign on his own sanity (or what was there to begin with) Stein threw back his head and let out a blood curdling laugh. "my interns are here, don't lie to me Joe, I'll fucking murder you and then dissect your mangled body."

Stritch stood up and straightened out his suit wiping away the dirt and smoothing out the unsightly wrinkles. "You're crazy" he murmured in a fearful awe

"Well I think someone's just a little grumpy because the Grinch stole their Christmas" and with that Stein turned around and walked up the sidewalk. Leaving one very self conscious Joseph Walter Stritch wondering if his upturned nose made him look that much like a who.

* * *

**Hah i couldn't help myself with that last comment Stein made, while i was creating Stritch i kept picturing him as a snobby who from whoville. So it's pretty obvious that Stien is my hands down FAVORITE character in Soul Eater, he is just so fun to portray. So now onto some extras! Some people have asked me what Soul, Maka, and the other characters of SE have been doing while out of Shibusen...**

**SOUL**

**Works: at the local music shop tuning pianos and other instruments, occasionally gives some fortunate child a lesson when he's in a good mood.**

**Lives: with Maka in their apartment 3**

**Maka**

**Works: Stacks books at the local library on the weekends and works week days at a coffee shop**

**Lives: with Soul in their apartment 3**

**I'll add more characters with each chapter!**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	6. Bonus Material!

**BONUS MATERIAL!**

**Hello everyone, thank you to all who have reviewed :)**

**I was re-reading what i had written so far and realized that if you were reading, you would have no clue why Stritch turned on Soul and Maka and attacked them. So i whipped up a quick background story for him so you would be able to understand this deviously insane man a bit better.**

**Enjoy :D**

* * *

**Police File no. 00934**

Name: Eugene Rhett Ruthers

Age: 34

Height: 5'7

Eye Color: Hazel

Hair Color: Black 

Offence: 4 counts of premeditated manslaughter of the second degree

Description: Tall and thinly built, black hair, nearsighted.

* * *

**Havar Ave. **

**9:30 p.m**

A thick layer of fog blanketed Havar Avenue as an autumn gale scattered golden leaves across the pavement that was as black and starless as the sky above it. The moon hid behind clouds of gray wool preventing the streams of silver light from illuminating the barren road. Tall lamp posts with flickering bulbs lined the street, barely cutting through the white. Eugene sauntered across the lawn of a neighboring home letting the fog wrap around his ankles and wet his shoes with mud and dew. The 45 caliber tucked into the back of his pants bulged slightly with the handle hanging out for easy access. He walked briskly, hearing the swish of the grass underneath his loafer clad feet. The house in front of him was of about average size and painted a light blue with darker blue shudders and trimmings. All in all it would have been a cute little cozy house during the day time with its lively gardens brimming with color, but when darkness fell it was hard to distinguish from the tree line behind it. He smiled with a twisted grin and straightened out the white dress shirt that hung loosely on his lanky figure. The soft tapping of footsteps could be heard as he stood in front of the door ready to ring the bell. The dark blue door swung inward with hesitation as a mousy brunette poked her head out

"W-what do you want?" she asked shrinking back in fear trying to keep her bottom lip from quivering.

Eugene smoothed back his black hair and cocked his eyebrows with a nonchalant air "Why my dear I only wanted to see " he stated, his words dripping with faux honey "is he in?"

The woman's eyes darted nervously "N-no I'm afraid he hasn't come home from work yet, but I can tell him t-that you stopped by."

He let out a low chuckle and leaned against the door frame, preventing the woman from shutting the door on him. "Now now" he began in a velvety tone "don't lie to me woman."

She swallowed hard and gripped the door tighter "D-Derek isn't home, he hasn't returned from work y-yet."

Eugene sighed and rubbed his chin wearily as if contemplating "again with the lies, I know your husband drives a black 1995 Chevy Impala with a red mark on the rear bumper. And that car is parked in your drive right this very moment"

The woman shuddered and gave a small gasp as he pushed his way in "your husband owes me a lot of money Mrs. Gaven" he spoke with authority as he stalked into the hall.

"I d-don't know anything about him owing money…honest" she spoke accentuating on the honest.

"My dear I don't expect a woman to know of her husbands financial affairs"

"Affairs?" she squeaked fearfully with eyes wide, she obviously knew who this man was and what he was capable of.

"Yes affairs, as in business…my business…and I take matters into my own hands when people do not stick to their bargains." Eugene peered into the neighboring room "that's a beautiful child you have " he began "it would be a shame if something happened to him…you agree?"

She weakly nodded her head "Derek, t-there's someone here to see you" she sobbed

The man dubbed Derek Gaven meekly shuffled into the room with his head hung low so his blond tresses hung in his face.

"Hello Eugene" he said twisting his wedding ring around his finger refusing to lift his gaze.

"Good Evening " he spoke smoothly "I believe that we have some matters to discuss."

Mrs. Gaven cowered behind her husband and tightly gripped his arm "he wants to hurt us Derek" she whispered, "he's got a gun" she held back a shaky whimper and looked over to her son's room "please, I don't know what's going on but give the man what he wants!"

"The woman is speaking sense" Eugene clamped a hand on 's shoulder "come, let's talk in the other room, I would hate to bother the rest of your lovely family." There was something about the way he spoke in that voice that dripped honey all over the floor. Something hidden beneath the fake mannerisms, something vindictive, something sadistic, something…to be fearful of. nodded his head and let Eugene lead him into the next room, sliding the pocket doors shut and snapping the lock into place. Eugene stepped lightly out onto the front steps, not bothering to shut the front door. What was the point? He had nothing to be ashamed of, business was business and when that business is threatened by a troublesome fly in the soup…well you just remove the fly and continue on. The bloodied mess he left in his wake didn't bother him the slightest, in fact he hadn't even given a seconds hesitation before smashing the Caliber's butt into the little boy's neck; nor did he have any problem with making the wife watch as he carved 's body up real nice. Eugene stood up straight and straightened out his shirt, with distaste he flickedoff some of the dust that lingered on the white fabric. He sighed heavily, now he would have to make a trip to the store to get some detergent. Those blood stains would never come out on their own you know. Within six months Eugene Rhett Ruthers was captured and charged with four counts of

Second degree premeditated manslaughter before he was sent to a maximum security mental holding prison where he would spend the next 15 years of his life. In that white washed cell he developed many odd personality quarks. His murderous ways made him hungry to slice, hungry to feel the cold hard metal of the trigger as the person on the other end whimpered in their last moments. The absence of death in his life drove him mad oh how he just _wished_ for a moment when some unsuspecting guard would relax for a moment and allow him to sneak up and crush that fragile neck with his bare hands. The littlest thing that annoyed him in any way had to be disposed of right away before they caused him to go into an induced murder frenzy. But for now he had to be a good boy and sit in his cell and eat his prison food with a smile. For some day he would be able to walk the streets and select new victims that he could mangle to make up for the absence. Maybe he'll dabble into forensics that would be the perfect cover being the man on the inside he could tamper the evidence from his own crimes and place them on another. Oh the fun he could have when he gets out. But he'd have to change his name if he was to live once more as an unburdened man…a good studious name that made him seem knowledgeable…Possibly he'd consider the name of Joseph Walter Stritch… yes that sounded like a good one to him. Oh the fun he'll have once he gets out…

* * *

**Yeah i know it's not the best chapter but i thought that it wouldn't serve Our dear friend Mr. Stritch justice if no one knew how and why he is the was he is. Also it explains why he attacked Soul and Maka...and if you still don't know. **

**Stritch attacked the two because they irritated him and "the fly in the soup must be removed"**

**So there you have it, the story of one Joseph Walter Stritch or if your prefer Eugene Rhett Ruthers. **

**And as promised there's even MORE bonus material...**

**Tsubaki:**

**Works: At the "be a Star" gym as a training consultant for people who are unsure about themselves. Tsubaki's main job is to encourage them and keep up to speed with the financial bills and such.**

**Lives: in the loft of the gym which her and Black Star transformed into their apartment.**

**Black Star:**

**Works: As the manager and founder of "be a Star" gym and leads the hard core training courses. Also helps out at Shibusen doing odd chores and acting as Stein's example for many classes. **

**Lives: With Tsubaki above the gym**

**Blair:**

**Works: at her own animal themed host bar, which has been very sucessful**

**Lives: down the road in a pumpkin shaped house, despite the neighbors rants and threats about the house she refuses to return it to normal. She still visits Soul and Maka at times but for the most part she enjoys the walls behind her odd home. **

**Please Review!!!!!!!**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	7. Recipies to get you out of a fix

**Hey everyone, it's been awhile eh? I've been so busy with all this college jazz but it's over for right now, in the Fall I'll be attending Ohio University :)**

**Onto the next bit o info, my laptop decided that it would be really cool to delete Microsoft Word off of my hard drive so i had to write this chapter out on Notepad (eww) so I'm sorry for all of the words that are probably spelled wrong ;-_-**

**Anyway!!!**

**Enjoy :D**

* * *

**The Crime Scene**

**-11:14 a.m.**

With the file folder tucked under his arm Stein briskly marched into the crime scene house, something wasn't sitting

right with him. He _knew_ that Maka and Soul had been preparing for their chance in the field for weeks now. Many a

time Stein had seen the two in the library forensics section pulling books from shelves and religiously taking notes

from them.  
"That Stritch is a lying bastard" Stein thought to himself in a huff "I know they're here"

A wave of rotting flesh stench hit him like a brick wall as he walked into the room where the Jane Doe, or

rather..what was left of the Jane Doe was located. Photographers busily flashed their cameras at different objects

in the room while other members of Death City's forensic team took measurements and communicated their own theories

to each other.

Stein did a quick sweep of the room looking for something out of place

Nothing here  
Nothing there

scratching his chin he took a few steps forward and parted the sea of cameras he knelt down to examine the body up

close. It wasn't really an attractive sight, but then again a mutilated and decomposing body of what was at one time

a woman isn't really the image of attractive. Stein pulled the scalpel out of his shirt pocket and lightly nudged a

fragment of torn clothing to the left so he could examine what appeared to be a stab wound. Sure enough there was a

predominant puckering around a decent sized slit in the Jane Doe's collar bone area. Stein gave one of the many

crime scene photographers a gesture to take a picture of the wound for documentation. Next he moved to the dried

blood spatter caked onto the walls and floor. Stein stood up slowly and tried to recreate the scene in his head  
"I know where she was stabbed... so due to the spatter..." he spoke under his breath while pointing to the blood on

the walls. His gaze trailed off to the floor and the dried blood that had formed small circular drops.  
"She must have been standing here" he said louder as he traced the floor spatter backwards and stopped by a dried

pool of crimson and knelt down.  
"Low force impact spatter" he dryly stated as he noticed that these blood spots were larger than the others. "She

was stabbed here in a downwards motion because of the lack of spatter on the wall over here" Stein marked the spot

with a plastic marker "and then she tried to walk this way..." he followed the blood on the floor "and was stabbed

again-"  
"In the back Professor Stein Sir" one of the forensics shouted out to finish his superiors sentence while

discovering another stab wound and documenting it.  
"good, thank you Kam" he nodded with approval and continued on with his thought process "that would make sense due

to the medium force impact spatter on this wall over here" Stien was about to resume thinking out loud when he knelt

down to examine another spatter mark on the opposite side of the room, it was right next to the body.  
"Hmmmm...you don't belong here..." Stein muttered under his breath, all of the sudden his blood seemed to ice over

while his stomach turned feverishly. "This..." he exclaimed with wide eyes "Is fresh blood"

* * *

**??? Room**

**  
-Time: Unknown**

The two teens sat backs against the wall in their small concrete prison wondering where the hell they were. They had

been in the room for a while now and they were staring to feel panic settle in on their thoughts. Maka stood up and

ran a hand along the wall she sighed and then knocked against the surface "its solid concrete" she stated while

listening to the dull thudding her fist made against the wall.  
"Damnit" Soul helplessly swore "We need to get out of here"  
Maka nodded in agreement and walked over to the metal rectangle that their food was pushed through earlier. She

tried to push against the swinging door but it was a one way deal. Stuff goes in, nothing comes back out. She was

about to give up when something caught her eye.  
"Soul come over here and bring your kit" Maka commanded with a gleam in her eye  
Soul took a deep breath and placed a hand on the cold concrete floor, he boosted himself up and at last made it to

the standing position.  
"Ughhh" he moaned while holding his head and slightly swaying back and forth "my head fucking HURTS, when i find who

did this i am going to mess their shit up!"  
"yeah yeah okay tough guy, save the cool talk for later" She smiled  
Soul trudged over to his meister and thrusted his forensics kit out at her "What's the big idea chief?"  
Maka gave him as big of a smile as she could manage and rummaged through the kit for a minute until her hand

re-emerged with a small squeeze bottle of Luminol and a clear jar of fingerprint powder.  
Soul gave his partner a confused stare as she emptied the water bottle that was pushed through the rectangle.  
"What are you doing?" He asked  
"see those?" Maka pointed at the door  
"Door hinges?" Soul answered quizzically  
"Yeah, they look a little old don't they?"  
Soul sighed "Must we speak in questions Maka?"  
The girl smiled and continued on with her explanation "See when i combine 2/3 Luminol with a rough amount of two

tablespoons fingerprint powder..." She fished around in the bag again and pulled out another bottle "and then add in

just a few drops of hydrochloric acid" She swished the mixture together in the water bottle "I think we can try to

dissolve the hinges on the door to the point where we can both knock it down!"  
Soul flashed her a toothy grin and chuckled "We need to get you signed with a publisher, 'Recipies to get you out of

a fix" he laughed while nudging his partner with his shoulder  
Maka knew that this was Soul's way of showing his appreciation so she laughed with him and decided to get to work.  


* * *

** Outside the Crime Scene House**

-**12:09 a.m.**

"you're sure you saw them leave this morning right?"  
"yes yes they were in a big hurry to leave this morning, i could hear that rotten bike of his from a mile away!

I'm sure they left."  
"...okay thank you for your time "  
Stein snapped his cell phone shut and shoved it back into his pocket. "Damnit!" he angrily kicked at a lone pebble

on the broken sidewalk.  
"Something the matter Frank?" A sharp voice asked from the doorway  
Stein squared his shoulders and gritted his teeth "Well as you know, my students are missing" he began "and i am

becoming increasingly worried about them."  
The figure stepped forward and leaned against the knoll post "Well you know children are...always running off"  
The professor clenched his fists "exactly...CHILDREN are always running off; but my students are taught better than

that." Stein shot an icy glare at the man "They don't just wander away from something."  
There was a slight pause between the two "Well i guess you need to teach them better, in this field we can't have

CHILDREN working alongside adults, they tend to get in the way...and those who are in the way...need to be

removed...isn't that right Frank?"  
Realization crashed against the professor like a wave, something about that last statement stuck out as odd to Stein

"yes" he absentmindedly mumbled back "you're absolutely right...those who are in the way need to be removed." A

surge of insanity pulsated behind his vision, there was nothing he would enjoy more than being able to cut this man

into small slivers in the name of research and revenge. "Only sometimes" The insanity was welling up inside of him

**Growing **

**_Growing _**

**  
_GROWING_**

He was about ready to burst with madness "you have to wait to remove the problem" Stein gave the man a twisted smile

and pulled his balled up fist out of his lab coat pocket. Small rivulets of blood were streaming down his fist from

where he had gripped his scalpel so tightly. Without even breaking eye contact Stein licked the blood off of his

fist in one clean motion, his soul piercing eyes locked onto the man's steel gray ones. The air was thick with a

murderous tension as the stare down continued. "I'll find them" Stein growled "and then i'll find you" he relaxed his

shoulders and checked the time on his cell phone. "One last thing before i leave"  
"Yes Frank?" The man stiffly answered  
"Would you rather go by 'I know you did this' or 'Murderous Fuck'?...i need to know what to label your jars when i

dissect you."  
A scoff escaped the man's lips "Do I sense a threat?" he asked sharply  
Stein scuffed his shoe against the sidewalk and answered with a crooked smile "why my dear friend, you know i don't

make empty threats." He turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction leaving Mr. Joeseph Walter Stritch

standing in the brisk afternoon air with many things to think about.

* * *

**Just expounding on a few small details**

**Luminol is that liquid used to find blood. You know like in CSI when they swab stuff for blood?**

**And i have NO idea if a mixture of Luminol, Fingerprint powder, and Hydrochloric Acid will take off door hinges...don't try this at home! :)**

**I had to actually do research for this chapter!! So all of that blood spatter info is legit! aha!  
**

**So what are you guys thinking so far? Good? Bad? lemme know!! Hit that sweet little Review button, you know you want to ;D**

**Thanks for reading :)  
**


	8. kiss away the pain

**Hello everyone :) Sorry it has been FOREVERRRRRR since i've updated, everything in my life is so crazy right now**

**I had devastating news in May about my brother (not blood related) he passed away on the third and i just haven't been in the mood to write in my spare time :( **

**Also its getting down to crunch time for all of my OU stuff what with class sign ups and dorm assignments**

**throw in a crazy nazi work schedule and you have a complete recipe for a few months of hell**

**ANYWAY!**

**i just wanted to give you all an update, hopefully SOMEONE is still reading my stuff xD**

**Enjoy :D**

**

* * *

**

"Come on Soul" Maka gently spoke "just a bit more and then it will be off!" The two teens worked feverishly in their endeavor to escape from their four walled prison. The hinges squealed and screamed as Maka and Soul pried their bruised and beaten fingertips in the crevice of the small door, giving every ounce of strength they had to pulling the metal cover off of it's hinges. Soul inhaled dramatically while gritting his teeth

"Here goes nothing" he mumbled

Maka watched her partners arms bulge out from the stress of pulling with all his might, she had never noticed the subtly defined muscles built in the male's arms. Soul grunted a bit and with one last ditch effort...

Metal screeched

Fingertips bloodied

and faces smiled at the gaping hole in the wall where the swing door once inhabited.

"Soul!" Maka exclaimed as she pulled him into her arms "you did it!"

The teen's face flushed for a moment "yeah it's why i'm cool i guess"

"you certainly ARE cool" she replied with a crooked smile "now lets get out of here shall we?"

Soul returned his meisters smile and gave an abrupt nod "let's get out of this bitch."

The opening in the wall was just barely large enough for the two of them to escape through but somehow they managed. Now they were faced with an even bigger problem. Where they were now.

"Uhhh.. Maka... what now?" Soul scratched his head and winced followed by a string of muffled swear words.

The meister put a bruised hand on her hip and surveyed their new surroundings.

It was a dark corridor made of brick with the occasional wall scone to light the path ahead. The air smelled damp and moldy with every inhale and made Maka feel cold to the bone. She scuffed her shoe against the cinderblock flooring and gingerly reached out and touched the wall. The brick felt slimey and cold, she could feel the occasional clump of moss peeking through the mortar.

"Well Soul...i don't know to be honest" she whispered "but i think we should keep our voices down...we don't know who else is down here and what their intentions are."

Soul nodded his head and placed a hand on his partners shoulder, "sounds like a good plan, so i guess we start walking now?"

"I can't think of anything else we CAN do but move forward and hope to god there's an exit." Maka replied with a shudder "the air down here doesn't feel right...i don't have a good feeling about this place."

Soul stepped next to Maka and nervously took her hand "we're the unbeatable team" he reassured her "if anyone can make it out of this situation...its us."

She flushed for a moment at the contact of his skin against hers "yeah...i guess so" she gripped his hand tighter and took a step forward, the aged and worn brick was soft due to the damp atmosphere, so their footsteps were masked from any nearby ears. The two continued their way through the dim corridor trying to stay alert for any people that were nearby. Maka longed for a breath of fresh air, her lungs felt like they were filled with mold and sickness just from the dampness. Her head throbbed and pounded like a drum, she wasn't dumb, they both needed medical attention as soon as possible. But under these circumstances medical care was just an unobtainable dream. They walked in their straight path for what seemed to be hours before the scenery started to change. The air was not quite as damp and moldy and wall scones were becoming more and more frequent lighting the path better so they could make out shapes and objects.

Soul leaned over next to his partners ear "I think we're getting somewhere" he whispered. Just as the words left his mouth the two spotted a door in the wall

Maka reached out and her fingers found the handle "should we go in?" she hesitated

Soul's face scrunched up "i dunno...this place makes me nervous...is there a window or anything so we can see inside?"

"Lemme see" Maka reached up and blindly groped around until her fingers touched a glass panel "yeah!" she exclaimed quietly, "but its kind of high up"

Soul smiled "not a problem" he spoke as he put his hands around his meister's waist and hoisted her up onto his shoulders "see anything?"

Maka pressed her face against the glass and squinted her eyes trying to scan the room "its really dark inside i can't really see a whole lot except for...what's that?" she trailed off "i see something...a table? with a ...white tablecloth"

"oh golly jee at least we know they have fine linens"

"shut up asshole" Maka retorted "there's something ON the table"

"ok well what do you see?" Soul shifted his weight and held onto Maka tighter so she wouldn't fall.

No answer.

"Maka? What do you see?"

"...Soul..."

"What?" He was getting annoyed by her mood swings "what is it already?"

there was a long pause "...Soul...we need to get out of here now..." she whispered fearfully

He lowered her down carefully and tried to get a good look at her face, it was pale white, "Maka...what's wrong?" he reached out and grabbed her trembling hand

"we need to get out of this place" she repeated again "...i'm scared"

Soul recognized her fear and pulled her in close encircling her battered body in a comforting hug. He brushed a stray hair behind her ear "what is in there Maka?" he whispered gently.

"H-Human extremities...dismembered human extremities..on a table.." she responded "this is scary Soul i don't wanna be here anymore!" tears stung her eyes as she spoke "where ARE we?"

Soul hugged her tighter and rested his chin on the top of her head "I wish I could tell you Maka...but i have no idea, we just have to keep moving okay?"

Maka sniffled and nodded her head "okay"

Soul was taken aback for a moment, the scared quivering girl he held in his arms was looking up at him with such venerability, her olive colored eyes were glossy from the tears that were trying to gush out, her fists were balled up clinging to his shirt, Soul could see the cuts and dried blood on her face and head. He had never felt such an urge to literally "kiss away the pain."

But the urge was too strong to resist, Soul slowly bent his head down and placed his soft lips beneath Maka's eye where a single salty tear was running down her face. He lingered there for a moment before cracking his lips into that signature crooked smile "better?" he asked with a gleam in his eye

Maka could do nothing but stand there and be enveloped by the unexpected emotion pouring out of her partner, when his lips contacted her skin she shuddered and blushed leaving her clueless on how to respond to Soul's sudden affection. She just smiled back and grabbed her partners hand once more. "Thank you Soul" she whispered "remind me to repay the favor once we are out of this place."

But the mystery still remained... "why were there limbs in that room...and whose were they?" The two plodded on while Maka's brain tried to figure out exactly WHAT kind of situation they were in...

* * *

**Sorry it's not THAT big of a chapter, i just kind of wanted some S&M romance in there because i LOOOOVE them together :)**

**so0o all of you should review and let me know what you'd like to see happen! i'm always open for suggestions and critiques **

**THAT and i'm not exactly sure where this plot line is heading, i'm not sure if i want to put the through extreme peril or not ;-.-**

**So hit that lovely little Review button and gimme some feedback please! :)**

**Thanks for reading :)**


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